


but we will read to you

by mothicalcreatures



Series: IN WHICH, John Irving and Solomon Tozer Have a Baby [3]
Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Family Bonding, Fluff, M/M, Trans Male Character, Trans Pregnancy, both john and sol are trans, gratuitous Winnie the Pooh quotes, the terror decameron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23354191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothicalcreatures/pseuds/mothicalcreatures
Summary: John curled his hand over the edge of the crib. “What if he needs…”“Then I’ll take care of it,” Solomon assured him. “I’m not the one who just pushed a child out of me. Go nap, I’ll keep an eye on Danny.”
Relationships: Lt John Irving/Sgt Solomon Tozer
Series: IN WHICH, John Irving and Solomon Tozer Have a Baby [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679731
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: the terror decameron





	but we will read to you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teapig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teapig/gifts), [bluebacchus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebacchus/gifts).



> Written for the Terror Decameron day four prompt "tender."
> 
> Thank you to bluebacchus for the idea of Sol and John reading Winnie the Pooh to their bab.
> 
> The title is *drum roll* another Winnie the Pooh quote.

John tracked his pregnancy more through where Solomon was in his life than by technical terms for how far along he was.

By the time John started showing Solomon was staying at his apartment most weekends. By the time it was obvious and undeniable he was pregnant, Solomon had officially moved in and had been hovering in the background as John video called his father to let him know about the pregnancy, and then waiting outside John’s office at the end of the day when John had come out to his boss.

When John felt the first kick, he and Solomon had just put down a deposit on a bigger place (a two bedroom upgrade from John’s one bedroom). And when John had gone into labor early (not by a dangerous amount), Solomon had insisted on being in the room with John, so that he could yell at any nurses who might misgender John.

* * *

John and Solomon arrived home from the hospital to find a package waiting for them from John’s father. Irving Sr. had not spoken to John since the video call where John had simultaneously come out as gay, told his father that he had a boyfriend, and that he was also pregnant and didn’t really know whose it was because of well… circumstances. It had not been a good conversation. Subsequent conversations with John’s siblings had gone much better.

Solomon spirited the package away before John could be too distressed by it, tucking it under his arm as they brought little Daniel to the nursery.

“Go take a nap,” Solomon said, as John hovered by the crib where their son was now sleeping.

John curled his hand over the edge of the crib. “What if he needs…” 

“Then I’ll take care of it,” Solomon assured him. “I’m not the one who just pushed a child out of me. Go nap, I’ll keep an eye on Danny.”

John sighed. “All right, I’ll… is it wrong that I’m worried? About leaving him…”

Solomon came up next to John, resting a hand at the small of John’s back. “I don’t think so. This hasn’t been easy for you, I know, but I’ll be right here and you’ll be just a room away. We can make sure the baby monitors are all on too.”

Letting out a long breath, John relaxed into Solomon. “Right, all right…”

“I’ll wake you in two hours if you aren’t already up again. How’s that?”

* * *

John woke an hour later to hear Solomon’s voice coming softly from the living room.

“‘ _Wouldn’t they notice_ you _beneath the balloon?’ you asked._

 _‘They might or they might not,’ said Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘You never can tell with bees.’_ ”

John smiled. He had many fond memories reading the Winnie-the-Pooh book as a child. He wasn’t sure he’d told Solomon just how sentimental he was about it, though it was likely he’d guessed generally from how often John watched the movie, and, particularly while he was pregnant, cried watching the movie.

He shifted in bed, rolling onto his side and tucking his arm under his head as he listened to Solomon continue reading, presumably to Daniel.

“ _‘Haveyou an umbrella in your house?’_

_‘I think so.’_

_‘I wishyou would bring it out here, and walk up and down with it, and look up at me every now and then, and say ‘Tut-tut, it looks like rain.’ I think, if you did that, it would help the deception which we are practising on these bees.’_ ”

After few more moments of reading he heard Solomon exclaim, “Oh this isn’t the rain cloud song!” followed by a muttered, “I was gonna sing it.”

John chuckled and as Solomon began reading again John found himself drifting off once more.

* * *

“I heard you reading earlier,” John said, later that afternoon as he settled onto the couch to feed Daniel. “Did you find the book online?”

Solomon, on the other end of the couch, looked a bit sheepish. “No, I… It was the package from your dad. I know I should have waited, but I was worried about what he might have sent you, given your last conversation. There was a letter too, but I didn’t read that.”

“Oh… I…” John felt a little choked. That felt an awful lot like an olive branch. He’d have to read the letter once Daniel was fed. “Was it… was it the copy I had as a kid?”

“I think so. Unless the book was for another John on Christmas 19—.”

“That sounds right then,” John said, adjusting Daniel in his arms. “It was a gift from my mother. I didn’t know my dad still had it.”

“It seems a bit like a peace offering then,” Solomon said, leaning back.

John smiled softly. “It does.” He was quiet for a moment. “Do you… would you read some more?”

“Should I start from the beginning again? Or just from where I left off?” Solomon asked, rising to his feet.

“Where you left off. I know all the stories, so I won’t be missing much.”

Solomon nodded. “Right.” And then he disappeared back into the nursery to retrieve the book.

“Do you think I could convince him to do the voices?” John mused to Daniel, whose only response was to decide he’d had enough of his bottle.

When Solomon returned with the book, John had been forced to retreat into his bedroom for a new shirt, as Daniel’s burping had lead to him spitting up all over John’s shirt. He made his way back quickly, however, and before long the three of them were settled again and Solomon began:

“Chapter two, ‘In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place,’

_Edward Bear, known to his friends as Winnie-the-Pooh, or Pooh for short, was walking through the forest one day, humming proudly to himself. He had made up a little hum that very morning, as he was doing his Stoutness Exercises in front of the glass…”_

**Author's Note:**

> The song that Pooh sings in the movie about being a little black raincloud and the song in the book are different, I was a little disappointed ngl, nostalgia clash XP.


End file.
